Returning to the Light
by Flame Fairy1
Summary: ~Part 8 up~Riku returns to the land of light, but it hurts him more than anything. How does he cope with it, and how does he bear not being able to see the one he loves?[Riku/Sora]
1. Disclaimer Page

A few things I'd like to tell you:  
  
I don't own Kingdom Hearts. All the characters in this story belong to Squaresoft (or Square Enix) The plot, however, is all mine! O_o  
  
I hope you review as well. I'm not really sure if I'll finish all of this, but I'll try. I have school, and other things, so it might take me a while to update.  
  
And I've decided to post my updates here ^_^ so you know what's going on!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
02/25/03 - Finished Long Part 8! ^^;  
  
02/20/03 - Got Part 7 up. Just a horrid chapter, but I think I got writer's block out of my head.  
  
02/16/03 - Added Part 6. Saying 'Chapters' confuses everyone since I have this updates page. Anyway, everyone who's been following this story MUST read Part 6. All of you have been dying for it, I know.  
  
02/15/03 - Added Chapter 4 & 5! The arrival of this new chapter however, has forced me to bump up the rating to 'R'.  
  
02/13/03 - I have finished Chapter 3! However, Fanfiction.net is down...so I won't have it published til then.  
  
O2/12/03 - I added Chapter 2. The title's kind of a dead give away, but I don't care...I couldn't really think of any other title. Anyways, I'll try and post a chapter every day or so. And one more thing, I'll add you to my own private mailing list, if you like. Just ask me in the review book. ^_^  
  
02/11/03 - Added Chapter 1. 


	2. First Light

Returning to the Light  
  
Chapter 1  
  
~*~  
  
'Take care of her.'  
  
That's the last thing he had said to Sora. Take care of her. The words echoed through his mind, rattling his brain with the pure irony of it.  
  
I love you. Now that's what he wanted to say to Sora before the door close. To actually mention 'her' in his last few words to him was just driving him crazy. Why? Why couldn't he have said something else? He was sure anything else would do, make him feel good when it echoed through his mind.  
  
He did love her, once. Before all this Keyblade business got in the way of things. Slowly, though, she had faded from his heart, to be replaced by the love for his rival.  
  
"Sora." Riku spoke hollowly into the empty darkness, which he lay in. He didn't fall through the darkness, but he didn't rest on anything else either. He was just still in the darkness, hanging there in an ocean of shadows. "Sora." He said again, voice now cracking with emotions. What he thought was left of his heart ached, suddenly feeling the urge to see the face of his beloved friend. Tears slowly welled up in his eyes, and slid down his cheeks. In though he was alone, he cursed his weakness, crying on this heartbreaking feeling.  
  
The sound of his tears echoed through the dark realm of Kingdom Hearts. This made it even worse, because he could reflect on the sound of his tears. Riku put his face in hands, trying to hide his tears.  
  
Something ripped in the dark realm. It was a normal sort of ripping sound, more like a portal opening.  
  
Riku glanced around between his fingers to see what it was.  
  
Light!  
  
Light had entered the realm, covering him in its bright blanket. He cried out in agony, closing and covering his eyes from the light. It hurt so much! He couldn't stand the light, his skin tingled with its invisible feeling, but his eyes were still burnt.  
  
However the light didn't go away, it remained. Actually, it widened, admitting more and more of the light.  
  
Riku cried out, his hands not managing to block so much light. Little trickles of it seeped through the cracks between his fingers, hitting his closed lids. His pupils were still very widened, taking the light in for the first time in three years. But it hurt. It hurt like hell. In the back of his mind he laughed mentally, he was already in hell.  
  
A gloved hand touch his bare arm, and he shrank away from it, flinching violently. Someone...someone was here?! Here...in Kingdom Hearts? Now Riku wanted desperately to open his eyes, to face the light and see who it was who dared enter this shadow infested place. But the agony was too much. He kept his eyes shut and covered; now fearing the light more than ever.  
  
"Riku." The unknown voice entered his ears, nearly deafening him. It had been so long since he had heard the voice of another. This voice was so much different then his. It was hopeful, cheerful, and mousy. The last detailed made a possibility appear in his mind. But no, it couldn't be true. He had asked that he be left here, to go insane...to rot.  
  
"Mickey?" His voice was weak, both from surprise and pain. It sounded strange to him - to speak to another. To actually have another being here him in this oblivion was still unthinkable. Now out of pure human instinct he tried to open his eyes so he could look up at his savior.  
  
It burned his eyes with fire. Riku howled in agony, pressing his palms onto his eyelids as he tried to dull the pain. The pain traveled through his body, reminding him that the light was not his friend right now.  
  
Mickey's gloved hand took Riku's wrist and attempted to pull it away from his eyelids, but to no avail. A small whimper escaped Riku's lips, giving in the fact he didn't want to see the light. "Please," He said quietly. "No light."  
  
A sigh was heard from the mouse king as his hand pulled away. A few moments passed, and then the king spoke again. "Take your hands away Riku. I have an idea."  
To Be Continued...  
  
~*~  
  
Will Riku escape Kingdom Hearts? What's Mickey's idea? And will Riku ever see the light? 


	3. Coping

Returning to the Light  
  
Chapter Two  
  
~*~  
  
Slowly Riku took his hands away still slightly scared. He saw shades of red and orange as the light touch his eyelids. At first he tried to cover them again, the colors not natural to him. But a strong spirit kept his hands lowered.  
  
There was a soft rustle of cloth for a few moments until all was silent again. Then a silky length of cloth touched his eyelids, blocking the light from making the orange and red appear again. The cloth was then tied at the back of his head - not to tight but just to hold it in place.  
  
Riku felt around blindly, attempting to sit up without the aid of his eyes. Then for the first time he found a solid ground. And he was sitting on it. Then he attempted to stand up. He nearly fell on his first attempt, but managed to straighten his legs and stand at full height. Riku rolled his shoulders back nonchalantly, feeling at ease now. He was getting out of this place, and hopefully for good.  
  
"Now doesn't that feel better?" Mickey's voice entered his ears, and he could pinpoint were the mouse king was now. Somewhat to his left, he guessed. So his head turned there.  
  
"Yeah." Now he idly noticed his voice was deeper. It sounded older, which was expected. But it was something else too. It was also quiet, like someone talking about somebody behind his or her back. Riku pushed away the thought, now wondering why he started thinking about that. Who cared what his voice sounded like?  
  
Sora would care, came the little annoying voice in his head. Yes...Sora would care. Sora would care about everything about Riku. Or that's what Riku thought, and hoped.  
  
Mickey's gloved hand then grabbed Riku's wrist. "Come on, the door won't stay open forever!" He sounded worried, like they wouldn't get out in time. But what if they didn't get out in time? What would happen? Would Mickey be able to escape again, this time with Riku? The thoughts spun in his head, causing him to be slightly dizzy. Mickey's hand jerked Riku's arm suddenly, causing him to stumble forward a few steps. "Come on Riku!"  
  
With every once of trust in the mouse king, he followed wherever he lead him. Riku was still seeing pitch black, a regular and almost welcomed sight. To him they seemed to be going through a maze, for they were constantly turning left and right. When they finally stopped, Riku took the time to catch his breath.  
  
Bad idea.  
  
Riku could feel the cool tingling crawling up his leg. He panicked. Those dark ropes of shadow, the ones that plunged him into this oblivion...he knew it all to well. His hands started trembling, the courage he once had faltering - plus the fact he was blindfolded added to his distress.  
  
But the mouse king would not fail him. The gloved hand pulled and pulled, almost ripping off his arm as Mickey attempted to pull Riku out of the shadow pool that was trying to claim him. But the ropes wound up his legs and around his waist, drawing him deeper into its oblivion.  
  
Then with one last burst of energy from Mickey, he was ripped from the shadow's grasp and was sent tumbling into the mouse king.  
  
They tumbled for quite a while, down a rough hill. Then they were shoved onto a sandy surface, which sunk under their weight. Riku groaned, feeling bruises begin on his arms and legs. He struggled to stand up, not use to the sandy surface - or any surface as that. Once he was up however, the ground started to shake violently with a tremendous tremor. It grew worse, causing Riku to topple to the ground again. A deafening sound them entered his ears, like a creak from door that needs oil. The sound coursed through his body mind, threatening to tear him apart if it grew any louder. Riku clamped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound. But it went on, for nearly a minute more. Then suddenly it stopped, and a deep 'thud' was heard, causing it's own shake.  
  
Riku attempted to stand again on the shifting surface, trembling all over. He then saw, with a lot of pain, that his blindfold was loose and askew, letting yellow light pour in. Hastily he took it and tied it at the back of his head again, with much difficulty of being almost blind. Once that was done, he now felt suddenly alone. With the most toneless voice he could muster he called out, "Mickey?"  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Mickey?!"  
  
Again, nothing.  
  
Riku started to walk, worried that he might be lost for in this blinding realm of light and -  
  
CRASH  
  
He was knocked to the ground after running into what seemed like a giant boulder. Riku groaned, rubbing his head as he stood again. This definitely was not his day; nearly getting kidnapped by darkness, tumbling down a hill, getting caught in an earthquake, loosing the mouse king, and now this. Running into a giant boulder. The words seemed ever stupider in his head then if he would have said them. Feeling a little childish, he reached out his hands to feel the rough rocky surface of the boulder. Then Riku begun to walk sideways, keeping his hands on the giant rock. It led to others, some stacked on top of each other.  
  
Surprisingly then, he felt dirt. Hard, compacted dirt. Making a sort of wall he then found out. No, wait. Riku felt the dirt wall as high as he could, and felt the short ceiling, and the other wall. It made a sort of tunnel. Riku followed the tunnel until he ran into a dead end. Or what he thought was. He could feel cool air flow over his legs. So he lent down and felt in front of him. In front of him was a small hole, about two feet in diameter at most. Thin vines or roots surrounded the hole - he didn't know which. In a daring attempt, he crawled through it.  
  
The same cool air hit his face, causing him to calm. But there were more things he noticed once he had stood after crawling out of the hole. The sound of a waterfall to his left was steady and quite loud, but there were more sounds hidden in the background. The cawing of seagulls, and if he listened hard he could here the distant sound of waves on a beach.  
  
Riku stepped forward onto the still sand surface, not daring to believe if this place was what he thought it was. He only just started walking, feeling along what he thought was a giant tree...  
  
"Riku?!"  
  
~*~  
  
Three guesses who that is. ^_^ Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. Seeing as it's twice as long as the previous one, it should please some people. And thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter one, I didn't except to get any...  
  
Well. Thanks again! And the next chapter should be up tomorrow if I don't get snowed down with homework. *crosses fingers* 


	4. Kairi

Return to the Light  
  
Chapter 3  
  
`blah` = thoughts/annoying voice inside his head ~*~  
  
"Riku?!"  
  
Riku paused, hearing the feminine voice. Slowly he turned his head towards where he had heard it, wondering if...  
  
A soft hand touched his cheek, and he pulled it away. It was her - the person he had mentioned to Sora in his final words. His thoughts about that from earlier still pained him at the heart. But he wouldn't let that show, he never would.  
  
"Here, let me take that off for you..." The girl's suggestion frightened him, as he tried to back away from her, to stop her. But alas, her hands gripped the silky black blindfold and pulled it away - letting the sunlight hit his eyes at full blast.  
  
He screamed, dropping to his knees, his palms once again pressed against his eyes, which were practically smoldering. His breath was rapid, both in pain and horror. One thought got through the pain however, 'Get the blindfold back.' Riku let his eyes take in the sunlight for a moment, as he saw a glimpse of Kairi holding the blindfold, dumbfounded. His hand quickly reached out and snatched it back, immediately covering it over his eyes.  
  
Riku let the pain float away after a few moments, before finally tying it at the back of his head. Now he found he was exhausted, from all the things that had happened today. But being the ever-so-stubborn one he shakily stood, leaning against the giant tree.  
  
"I'm sorry." Kairi's voice said solemnly, taking in a sense of guilt. "I should've known that blindfold was there for a reason."  
  
"Yeah, you should've known." Riku answered bitterly, now standing at full height. Then a thought struck him, and let the question roll off his tongue and into the air. "Where's Sora?"  
  
For a long time there was silence. Maybe she's too selfish to tell me, he thought.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Riku's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean you don't know?!" He shouted, hand clenching into a fist. He had to be here! Sora was the only thing that had gotten him to survive for so long in Kingdom Hearts. And if he found out something had happened to Sora...his thought stopped there. It was too painful to think about.  
  
"I haven't seen him since he closed the door three years ago." He heard Kairi say softly.  
  
Where had Sora gone? If Kairi hadn't seen him...then he was pretty much lost in finding Sora. Perhaps he's still searching for me, he thought trying to calm himself. This was much more easier to think about. But what would he do if he found Sora? He couldn't see his lover, because nothing was worth having to face that searing pain again. Nothing. Not even to see his Sora again?, he wondered. Riku sighed, things were so complicated now. For a fleeting moment he wished he were back in Kingdom Hearts.  
  
"Then, Kairi," When he spoke her name it sounded funny to him. He had said it a thousand times before - but now it was just awkward. "Help me find King Mickey."  
  
Riku heard a relieved sigh come from the girl as he mentioned the king. "Okay. He's just on the deck." He tensed as Kairi suddenly grabbed his hand and started leading him to the deck. Riku didn't want to touch her at all...he was faithful to Sora. `But face it,` the voice came into his head again. `You're more helpless than a child right now.`  
  
It was right, he was helpless. Not being able to see and not accustomed to how the worlds were now, he had to take all the help he could get.  
  
After a few minutes of walking, and climbing up an uneven ladder, they reached the wooden deck. A cool spray of ocean water hit his face, surprising him and dampening the blindfold. Riku scowled, he couldn't afford to have this thing soaked.  
  
"Riku!" He heard the mouse king exclaimed. "I'm so glad I've found you, I thought you went back through the door. And thank you, Kairi, for helping him here. Now we should get going, it's going to take us a while to travel back to the castle."  
  
"Why don't you two stay here tonight?" Riku heard Kairi perk up hopefully. "You can start going back to your castle in the morning."  
  
"I'm sorry, Kairi, but we must get there by tonight. Or the possibility of the barriers appearing might actually happen. We can't risk it." `He speaks like a true king.` Riku thought to himself, impressed by Mickey's planning. And besides, he really didn't want to stay here. The memories would come back quicker than if he were somewhere else he guessed. Also Kairi was here, he felt uncomfortable around her, even if he didn't have the sight to see it.  
  
Kairi sighed loudly, "Alright then."  
  
Then Riku's wrist was taken by that familiar gloved hand and lead in that complicated maze like way. The coolness of the island pushed him on though, and relaxed him about the whole situation. If not for the blindfold, he would be swimming in the ocean right now.  
  
Mickey stopped suddenly, and without realizing, Riku ran into him. The two stumbled a bit, but didn't fall. The sound of a hiss entered his ears, followed by a deep thud. Riku noticed his hearing was more alert now, so he could here things that he wouldn't have been able to hear normally...  
  
There was then another thud and Mickey's gloved hand was laid on Riku's shoulder. In silence Riku was led into some sort of small circular area, with about three or four seats. He cautiously sat into one, and waited. The hissing sound was heard again, then the rumble of an engine. This reminded him of something he had heard that duck thing talk about. A 'gummi' ship, he thought it was called. Mentally he sighed, he wouldn't be using the heartless to travel anymore.  
  
The silent ride through abyss lasted for several hours. Riku fell asleep dozens of times, causing his blindfold to go askew. He had to retie it dozens of times, but he didn't mind. His mind also wandered off into half- baked thoughts. Would Sora be the same as when he last saw him? And if he was different, how different? He wanted to see whether Sora had grown up. Riku cursed, if things kept the way were, the only thing he'd see is a black shadow.  
  
Silently his fingers ran along the blindfold, contemplating how he'd sleep with this at wherever they were going. He'd probably take it off with his eyes closed and lay it somewhere. But what if it got lost? What if a rat took it? What would he do then? Riku sighed heavily, breaking the tense silence as he continued to think.  
  
The gummi ship then gave a sudden jolt, knocking Riku out of his seat and to the floor. He grumbled, sitting up and crawling back onto his seat. "Hold on." He heard Mickey mutter warily, as the gummi ship gave another jolt.  
  
Now making sure his hands were clamped tightly to the seat, he listened intently for anything unusual. However nothing got past the annoying buzzing and beeping of a hundred buttons. Suddenly the gummi ship jolted into a high-speed drive, going so fast Riku was forced to sink into his seat.  
  
Then it started to slow, as he guessed they were landing in a world. The engine sighed, cooling off as the ship landed on the ground with a heavy 'thud.' Riku sighed in relief again, standing up. Hissing entered his ears again as the roof of the gummi ship supposedly opened, and he felt his way out. He could here Mickey jumped out onto the ground after him.  
  
"Hiya Mickey." A deep, sort of dim-witted voice said first, making Riku jump. "Me and Donald have uh..."  
  
"Your Majesty!" An annoying high, squeaky voice exclaimed. It was the duck, he guessed. Donald, was it? "We've found him! We've found Sora!"  
  
Riku's heart started to beat rapidly. Sora...  
  
~*~  
  
So what do you think? It's about 200 words more than the last, but that shouldn't matter, should it? And I bet I surprised you all with Kairi, didn't I? Oh well. I'll try and post a new chapter everyday now, seeing as it's steadily becoming easier.  
  
Meanwhile, please review! 


	5. Arriving

Returning to the Light  
  
Part 4  
  
`Blah bleb` = thoughts/voice inside head  
  
~*~  
  
Sora...  
  
Riku used his hearing to pinpoint where the duck was standing. Then he grabbed it, shaking it violently causing some feathers to fly. "Where is he?!" He shouted, not caring how he acted as long as he got to talk to Sora again.  
  
He heard Donald screech unevenly as he shook him. Mickey then tried desperately to pull Riku away from his court wizard yelling, "Riku! Stop it!"  
  
After a few minutes he regained his control and let go of the duck. Grumbling in anger, he walked a few footsteps away from the three and sat down on the soft grass. What had come over him? Normally he wouldn't have acted so...violent. Perhaps, he thought, it was just the feeling of impatience. Or perhaps maybe being in Kingdom Hearts for too long had done something do his mind. Riku didn't really care as he eavesdropped on the trio's conversation.  
  
"Sorry about that guys." He heard Mickey say in an apologetic tone.  
  
The duck hmphed, "He's crazy!" Donald whispered, not knowing that his hearing was better than that.  
  
"I think he's just sad." The deep, dumb voice said. Riku was irritated by this...thing, whatever it was.  
  
"I agree with Goofy." Mickey's voice said again. "I'll get him a room in the castle, he'll stay with us for a while."  
  
Riku tensed as Mickey's hand then touched his shoulder, and told him to stand up. He did so quietly, realizing which world they were in now. They were in the world in which Mickey's castle rested. Riku had never seen his castle, and there wasn't a very high chance he would ever. However, here he had his only chance to see Sora, if it was true that the wizard and the knight had found him. But what did they mean they 'found' him? Had Sora's whereabouts really been isolated from Donald, Goofy, AND Mickey? It was even possible to evade Mickey's eyes.  
  
`He's not the same, ` the voice told him repeatedly. `He's different. He'll push you away. `  
  
`No he won't, ` he silently responded back. But then again, deep down, Riku was doubtful Sora would greet him as a friend. After all the completely insane things he did in the past...would Sora forgive him?  
  
A change of floor material came suddenly as they walked. One second he was stepping and crushing grass, and next - he was causing an echo in empty halls as he walked across hard tile.  
  
Unlike the times Mickey had lead him, this time they walked in a straight line for ages. Riku started to wonder if this really was a really long hall, or he just didn't notice if they turned or not.  
  
Suddenly Mickey stopped and Riku came to the conclusion they had reached his 'room.' The creak of a door was heard, as Mickey lead him into the room. Just by the feeling of it he could tell it probably was quite big. The mouse king went over some brief explanations of the room. The bed was about 20 footsteps away and in front of the door; the window was left to that, and the desk opposite. Then he left, shutting the door quietly behind him.  
  
Riku sighed and sat down on the bed. The covers and the mattress were soft, making him unable to resist the urge to lie down. Riku rested his head upon the feather pillow, thinking about how far he had gotten. It was probably getting dark now, because he shivered from the cold. Muttering a few things to himself he sat up again and stood at the bedside. With much ease he shed his purple belt-hanging pants and his shoes. He would have to ask Mickey for new clothes soon.  
  
He then climbed under the bed covers, savoring the gratifying warmth they gave. As he laid his head upon the pillow again, he felt uncomfortable. It took him a few moments to figure it out. Of course! The blindfold! Sitting up irritably, he messed with the knot at the back of his head until he could finally slip it off. Blinking a few times and setting the blindfold on the small table beside the bed - he looked around the room.  
  
It looked exactly as he sensed it. There were no candles in the room. His bed was covered in black sheets and had opened navy blue curtains, which he now closed. There was, however, a window that emitted the bright moonlight into the room. It stung his eyes as they passed over the moonlight on the floor, so he closed his eyes and leaned back down.  
  
Very little time passed until he finally fell asleep. A long deserved sleep. If only Sora was right here...next to him...  
  
~*~  
  
Shorter than 'Kairi' I know, but I lost my muse in the middle of it! O_O I found it again, luckily. Evil cat. -_- Anyways, I know I'm torturing you all with no Sora! :-P don't worry, I'll have some yaoi/shounen-ai in here. Soon. I hope. I should tell you now I'm not especially good at writing those really remarkable detailed ones, so don't expect to read something like what the great Goddess Uzumaki writes! ;-) *Teases* 


	6. Dreaming

Returning to the Light  
  
Chapter Five - Dreaming  
  
~*~  
  
"Kairi!"  
  
"That's right. While you were off goofing around, I finally found her."  
  
"Riku, why are you siding with the Heartless?"  
  
"The Heartless obey me now, Sora. Now I have nothing to fear."  
  
"You're stupid. Sooner or later they'll swallow your heart."  
  
"Not a chance. My heart's too strong."  
  
"Riku..."  
  
"I've picked up a few other tricks as well. Like this, for instance."  
  
"You can go see your friends now."  
  
~~  
  
Riku tossed restlessly in his sleep as the flashback on what happened on Cook's deck played in his dreams.  
  
~~  
  
"Let's get under way, already. And keep Sora away from Kairi until we're ready to land."  
  
~~  
  
"Dammit...Kairi..." He mumbled into his pillow.  
  
~~  
  
"Troubled by the past, aren't you, boy?" That voice...he had heard it somewhere before.  
  
In the landscape of his dream, he looked around. Then he began running, towards the voice and where he thought it was. Something inside of him told him he should stop, but who was he to listen to those things?  
  
After what seemed like an eternity he stopped, panting heavily. Where had he gone? All around him was shadow, darkness. He had gotten nowhere from running, like he had gotten nowhere with the heartless.  
  
A large, rough hand laid itself on his shoulder. Riku tensed, glancing idly over his shoulder to see who it was. At first he thought it was nothing, until he saw the haunting pair of amber-orange eyes. He gasped and turned, slowly backing away from the eyes. Dark, hollow laughter was heard, sending shivers up Riku's spine.  
  
"Why so afraid?" The same voice said. It was deep, and held the air of importance around it. "You weren't so cautious last time."  
  
"That was before I knew what darkness could do..." Riku answered it, still backing away. "...Ansem."  
  
The amber-orange eyes narrowed momentarily. Ansem then stepped towards Riku, touching his cheek with his hand.  
  
Riku pulled away quickly, scowling. "What do you want?" He sneered.  
  
Suddenly the eyes disappeared and two hands wound around his chest from behind. Riku struggled, but to no avail. Ansem laughed again as he held the boy to his chest, enjoying his struggling. "It's no use." He said calmly in Riku's ear, making him pause for a moment. Seeing he had a little of the old control he use to have over Riku, Ansem laid a taunting kiss on the boy's neck.  
  
A few moments after that kiss, Riku pushed himself away from Ansem; idly surprised he was so easily released. Unknown light hung in the air, allowing him to see the former parasite. Ansem looked exactly as the last time Riku had seen him, which was even more frightening. Then he started to back up, keeping his eyes on the seeker of darkness...  
  
Ansem moved to quick for Riku's eyes to see, and in an instant he was behind Riku again, grabbing him around the chest once more. Riku panicked, struggling again with what little hope he had. Though it was still as useless as before; the two black straps on his yellow shirt were unbuttoned and fell loosely across his chest. Then with one hand around Riku's waist, Ansem took the zipper at the neck of Riku's shirt and slid it down smoothly, causing the shirt to open and admit Riku's milky white skin.  
  
Riku shivered, feeling the cold air of the shadow world touch his bare chest. Ansem would always do this to him. Going dreadfully slow and letting the tension build up. Riku hated it. He hated it with every once of emotion in him. The memories of past experiences flashed momentarily  
  
Upon reaching the bottom of the shirt, Ansem's hands now fiddled with Riku's belt. They undid the latch and gradually slipped it off and let it slip on to the black, cold floor. Now, there is a reason why Riku's belt is one hole away from the tightest. His shorts, as Ansem already knew, were tremendously loose, slipping down his hips a few inches. A noticeable blush came to Riku's cheeks as Ansem simply continued with unbuttoning and unzipping the shorts, and let them fall to the ground.  
  
Riku shivered again, the cold sweeping over his senses again. He had stopped with the struggling now, standing motionlessly in Ansem's arms.  
  
"Do you want to continue?" The seeker of darkness asked quietly.  
  
"Since when do you give me a choice?" Riku replied defiantly. He hissed in pain as Ansem pinched his nipple firmly. "No," He then said, "I don't want to continue."  
  
The frightening soft laughter reached his ears again. "You never do." Ansem whispered, his hands slipping into Riku's black boxers. Riku gasped, feeling his hands go along his thighs. He squeezed his eyes shut wishing this would end...  
  
~~  
  
Riku forced himself awake, burying his face in his pillow. The warm ray of the morning sun was felt on his neck, telling him that it wasn't safe to let his eyes open anymore. Riku's hand came up from under the pillow and felt along the bed to the table beside it, where his blindfold lay. Hastily he seized it, gripping it tightly. Then he turned onto his back and laid the black cloth lazily across his eyes.  
  
Would the dream come again? Riku shuddered, the burning hatred for the man coursed through him, but it also sent wave upon wave of self-hatred as well. He felt so stupid when he thought about how he had so willingly submitted to the darkness. Why couldn't his heart have been as strong as Sora's?  
  
He then sat up, holding the blindfold to his eyes then tying it. Imagining his hair a complete mess, he chuckled.  
  
Then he heard the door creak a little bit, and his hand clenched into a fist. "Who is it?" He asked tonelessly.  
  
"It's me, Mickey." The mouse king answered. "Someone's waiting for you."  
  
~*~  
  
Aah well. This chapter means I'll have to bump it up to 'R'. Not exactly what I was planning however. Oh well. Anyways, I'm not sure I captured Ansem quite well. But perhaps Riku imagines him different then the guy we all know and hate. 


	7. A Reunion

Returning to the Light  
  
Part Six - A Reunion  
  
`Bleh` = thoughts  
  
~*~  
  
"Who?" Riku questioned, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up immediately.  
  
"Who do you think?" Mickey questioned, walking over to Riku. "Of course it's Sora!"  
  
Riku nodded. So...today he was going to see - wait no - meet Sora. Technically he wasn't going to 'see' Sora, so that was out. But at least he could just wrap his arms around him, tell him how much he loved him. And hope that Sora loved him back.  
  
"I'll need some new clothes." He then blurted out, with an egotistic tone. Okay sure he didn't mind at all what he was wearing, but he just wanted to freshen up. It would be nice to finally wash away the grime and filth from Kingdom Hearts.  
  
"Already got them." The soft rustle of clothes could be heard as Mickey undoubtedly set an outfit down on the bed. "Once you're done getting ready, take a left then two rights to get into the main hall."  
  
Riku nodded again, repeating the directions a few times over in his head. A left then two rights...that was simple enough. He heard the mouse king leave, shutting the door rather loudly behind him. Riku cringed; normal sounds like that to him were now quite loud. But he would have to work with it, because this was his life now. Darkness. Only in his minds eye could he see the light, the sun - the colors. But what if the sound he heard on the island deafened him? How would he walk among this realm?  
  
He shook his head violently, determined to eliminate those thoughts from his mind. It was too agonizing to think about if he had no connection to this world. But sometimes, he pondered, it would sometimes be comforting to think about if he were still in the World of Shadow. He had forgotten how complicated life could really be. In Kingdom Hearts all you had to do was lie around with your own thoughts and feelings. Yet here, you had everything to worry about. Relationships, survival and financial problems, looks, news...everything, was all in your life here. It almost overwhelmed him right there on the spot as he thought about it. But then the task came to mind - 'Take a shower.'  
  
Feeling slightly lost, he ran his hands over the walls to find where the door to the bathroom was. His hand came to a furnished oak surface, and then to a round, smooth handle. Carefully he opened it, wary of what might be in it. Once he extended his foot and touched the cold tile however, he knew it was the bathroom. Riku fully stepped in it, having a feeling that - like his room - it was quite spacious.  
  
`This room must've been especially made for me, ` He thought idly, shutting the door behind him. `Everything's so spacious, but not to hard to find. ` Then he started to undress. First he shed his blindfold, which he set on the smooth (and probably marble) counter next to the sink. After that he unbuttoned the straps across his chest, and let them fall and sway as he undid the zipper going down the middle of his shirt. Riku then shuddered out of the blue, the way he was undressing reminded him about his nightmare. Trying to regard his nightmare to back of his mind, he blindly undid his belt and put it beside his blindfold. Then he slipped both his shorts and boxers to the floor, shivering again. Finally, he slid his open shirt off his shoulders to the pile at his feet as he stepped out of it.  
  
Tightly he grasped the shower curtained and pulled it across enough so no water was likely to spray, but he could still get in. Before he started to water however, he felt the bottom of the shower. Ok, it was slightly rough, so he wouldn't slip. With a more relaxed feeling about the place, he started the water flow. It didn't take very long to make it nice and warm, turning the dial to where he thought was left. Then he finally went in, closing the shower curtain all the way.  
  
Riku moaned softly, feeling the hot spray of the shower hit his bare chest. It felt odd, showering with your eyes closed. With much eagerness, he started to rinse out his hair. It started to smooth now, turning to it's original hairstyle. Quickly he found the shampoo, squeezing some out onto his palm and washing his hair.  
  
The feeling of the warm water running down his back was very refreshing. Indeed, the feeling of guilt and sorrow was washing away down the drain along with all the Heartless filth that still clung to him. After thoroughly washing his hair with the shampoo, he rinsed it out. Then with a little difficulty he found and grabbed the soap.  
  
He carefully started to wash himself head to toe with the soap. His muscles were more relaxed, making it easier to move and handle the soap in his hands. After making sure no spot on his body hid from the soap, Riku washed himself off.  
  
Riku was very reluctant to turn off the shower. But after a few moments of self-encouragement, he turned the dial so the water slowly lost its flow. He sighed, and pulled back the curtains, shivering as the still morning cold air hit him. Careful of his wet feet he stepped out and grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around his waist. He then tied it at the hip, grabbed his blindfold (that was slightly damp) and tied it loosely around his head. He would take it off later to dry his hair.  
  
He opened the door and stepped back onto the soft carpet. Just out of luck he found the bed and the clothes that lay upon it. With very little trouble he could distinguish boxers, pants, and a shirt. It didn't need to be an elaborate outfit, he guessed. Just something suitable for public.  
  
In less than 10 minutes he was dressed, his hair dried and his blindfold less damp. Now, it was time...time to see his Sora. His light.  
  
The directions that Mickey had given echoed in his head. 'One left, two rights...One left, two rights...' He found himself in a large room with voices echoing off the walls. About ten people were there, he thought.  
  
Just when he was about to call out Sora's name, someone ran up and hugged him tightly. The person rested his head on Riku's shoulder, causing warm tears to touch his neck. "I love you." The words were not his, he realized. This person...was him. It was Sora. Tears of his own cascaded down his cheeks. Sora's voice wasn't altogether different. It still held that hopeful, happy tone to it. It was still boyish, which Riku loved most of all.  
  
Not minding the tears that fell, he wrapped his arms around Sora, holding him closely as they stood there. Then he muttered softly, "I love you too, Sora."  
  
~*~  
  
Isn't that sweet? Honestly I feel this could be the end of a story right there, but it won't be. The two need to catch up with each other any. So, since all of you have been *dying* for this chapter, please review! 


	8. Untitled

Returning to the Light  
  
Part 7 (Untitled)  
  
~*~  
  
Riku guessed that Sora was just as relieved as he was to finally say the words that were tearing at both of them. He also noticed, as they stood there embracing each other, that Sora was taller. Probably almost as tall as he was - but that was expected right? They were only seventeen and eighteen years old. They probably wouldn't stop growing anytime soon. Though, this fact slightly disturbed Riku. If Sora was going taller than Riku in the future, would he perhaps take advantage of the dominance he had.  
  
These thoughts mixed with the satisfying feeling of having Sora in his arms stirred in his head for only a few moments. Then Sora let go reluctantly, but still held tight to Riku's hand. "Come on," He said softly, nudging Riku slightly. "We can talk more where there's less people."  
  
Riku found himself being the helpless follower, following whoever was walking and had a hold of him. It was different with Sora though. He could trust Sora, right? Even after all he'd done to him, right? Sora would always love him, right?  
  
They came to a stop soon after, and the luscious scent of flowers entered his nostrils. He guessed they were in the castle garden, as Sora and him sat down on a nice bench. Sora sighed, letting his head rest on Riku's shoulder as he traced the lines on Riku's right palm. Riku, in turn smiled, and wrapped his left arm around Sora, holding him close.  
  
"So, did Mickey get you out?" Sora then asked in a quiet tone.  
  
Riku nodded, letting the faint island-smell of Sora distract him from the many flowers. "Did he tell you about it?"  
  
Sora shook his head quietly, "No, I'm the one who suggested it."  
  
He paused in his thoughts there. So...if Sora did suggest, that meant that he probably didn't think of this as lust, but love. That their love was true...not like what Riku had with Kairi. Kairi. The name sounded bitter in his mind.  
  
"We searched for a year and half for the door, after Mickey escaped..." Sora continued. "I asked why you didn't come with him. He said you didn't want to come..." Riku felt Sora shift in his arms, to look up at him. The pain struck his heart lightly at first, but steadily grew as his thoughts progressed. Would Sora get the picture that he didn't want to leave Kingdom Hearts because he didn't love him? "...But that's not true, is it? Is it?" Sora's tone was slightly worried, concealing expected tears.  
  
Riku sighed, and rested his chin on Sora's head as it lent back down onto his shoulder. "It's hard to explain." He started, inwardly kicking himself. "I don't know why I didn't go out with the King. I didn't feel there was anything for me here." He cringed slightly at his own words. "I mean, I love you and all...but in there I didn't think you did." He bit his lip, unsure how that touched Sora.  
  
"I understand." Sora's soft voice reached his ears, and the words relieve him. Maybe he wouldn't act like an idiot; answering questions he knew nothing about.  
  
Then, something felt rather odd. Something inside of him, like a sixth sense, told him something was wrong. Something about Sora was wrong. To Riku of course this was absolute ludicrous, how could there be anything wrong with him?  
  
'How can you expect him to be true to you for three years?' The voice hissed inside his head, making anger bubble inside of him. 'How are you so sure he hasn't slept with anyone else? Loved anyone else? How are you so sure he hasn't even slept with Kairi yet?'  
  
Riku debated whether or not to ask Sora these questions. These were personal things, but the way they were holding each other was too. Finally he decided he should. "Sora," He started. "Did you ever - "  
  
"Yes!" Sora broke out sobbing into Riku's shoulder. He jumped slightly at Sora's outburst in emotion, not knowing he could get that emotional. "Yes! I did! I'm s-sorry Riku...I didn't know you were coming back. It happened with all of them! Cloud, Leon...Kairi...I'm sorry! I didn't want it to happen!" Sora sobbed more, now gaining the hiccups. Riku sighed fatherly, and shifted so Sora was on his lap, and he could calm him. He waited as his love started to settle down. Sora still had the hiccups after a few minutes, but had stopped crying.  
  
'Well.' The voice started laughing softly, 'I was right.'  
  
Carefully Riku wrapped his arms around Sora, now trying to eliminate the hiccups. Slowly though, they died away as well. "Listen, Sora..." He started to whisper in his love's ear, as Sora started to drift into a sleepy state. "I don't care what you did before. I expected it." Riku rested his chin in Sora's head again, rocking them both slightly. "As long as you love me now I don't care what you did before. Okay?" He felt Sora nodded silently, before he obviously fell into oblivion.  
  
'Don't you have a feeling he'll go back to one of them?' This voice didn't like him obviously, interrupting his most calming moments.  
  
'Shut up.' He replied in his head back. 'I've had enough of you. Get the fuck out of my head.'  
  
'Temper.'  
  
'Bastard.'  
  
After a few moments of welcoming silence, he too fell into the blissful oblivion of sleep...  
  
~*~  
  
That chapter sucked. This is the effect of sick-sounding teachers, no sleep, bitchy friends and writer's block! But I had to get it printed. Promise I'll have a better chapter for Part 8! 


	9. Sinten

Returning to the Light  
  
Part 8 - Sinten  
  
~*~  
  
Riku found himself back in the darkness of the dream realm. He scowled, starting to walk slowly. Surely Ansem would be less mysterious and let him see for once? He scoffed, continuing to walk. Who was he kidding? Ansem could just jump out right now and start fucking him in this cold abyss.  
  
Then he tripped over something round and quivering, and crashed to the ground. Groaning with slight frustration, he grabbed whatever had been lying there and brought it close to his face to see what it was. The immediate smell of death and decay hit his nostrils, causing him to cry out and drop it quickly. Two beady yellow eyes stared up at him as the thing squeaked with curiosity.  
  
His hand instinctively shot out in front of him, allowing a flame like neon- green beam to erupt from his palm and blast the damn heartless away. He blinked, eyes now brightened by the sudden arrival of light. Riku's hand was quietly glowing, the spot where the beam had shot out the brightest point. Riku curled his hand into a fist and watched as the same green energy snaked up his arm, up and down his torso, and down his other arm to his left hand.  
  
Shivering, he clenched his left hand as well. Another snake of energy slithered up his arm and circled his torso, but this time it crept low and spiraled around his legs, splitting into two lines at his waist.  
  
Then it started to choke him, the glowing strings gathering and tightening around his throat. He gagged, his hands desperately tugging at the substance but to no avail. He fell to his knees onto the hard cold floor as he started to weaken, head spinning. So this was how he was going to end this short nap? Just by choking?  
  
But fate is never that merciful.  
  
Faintly knowing what was happening, Riku felt someone cutting through the neon-green strings. The strings cried in their own voice when they were killed, falling limply onto the floor and shriveling up with high screeches. Riku coughed, now starting to stand up as he massaged his throat. A foot came down violently on his chest, slamming him back onto the floor. Coughing again, he tried to push it off merely to find out again he was too weak.  
  
"That was close." Came a calm voice from above him. It almost sounded like it had the voice of Ansem, but not quite. It didn't have darkness embedded in its soul like him. Once Riku had heard the voice, a feeling of trust grew in him. Like he had met this person before, had even been friends with him.  
  
"Heh, I know." Riku muttered sighing as the foot took it's self off of his chest. A strong yet smooth hand gripped his wrist and helped him up. When he heard the other's footsteps start to walk away, he called out, "Hey! I still don't know who y - "  
  
Lights from candles and oil lamps lit up around them. Riku shielded his eyes momentarily, letting his aqua spheres adjust to the sudden brightness. Once that was done, he lowered his hand to see the slim, but definitely male figure standing only a few feet in front of him. The other was wearing a dark blackish-green coat that reached his ankles but was only zipped down to his waist. Riku mentally frowned, seeing as he also had his hood up, hiding his identity.  
  
A taunting smile crept over his friend's slightly faded pink lips, irritating Riku further. Just when he was about to ask the "Who are you?" question again the unknown motioned towards the open-curtained canopy bed in one corner of the large room. It had black sheets and curtains, which showed a seductive look. Riku sighed again and sat down, keeping his eyes on the other person. Riku watched as he sat in the black armchair in front of the fireplace, which - he noticed - was quite near to the bed. Light blue flames crackled inside it upon dark brown wood, which burned slowly.  
  
With a bit of excitement, Riku watched him unzip his coat, unbuckled the strap going around his neck, stand, and slip off his hood.  
  
The man looked no older than twenty-one. He had nicely combed pale blond - almost white - hair. His skin was about the same color as Riku's, just a tad tanner. The man's eyes were a deep, fierce blue showing, in Riku's mind, that he was quite fearful when he was angry.  
  
Chuckling slightly at Riku's unnoticed gawking, the blue-eyed man slipped off his coat and hung it on a peg on the wall next to the fireplace. Underneath that he wore even more black, a shirt and slightly loose pants that were pulled over his boots. Calmly he sat in his armchair again, eyes on the blue flames even though his attention was on Riku.  
  
"So," He started. "I suppose you're wondering who I am." He glanced at Riku for a moment in time to catch his nodded. He knew that his surprisingly calm voice intimidated him, but he liked having the upper hand on things. "Sinten." He answered simply.  
  
"Sinten?" Riku repeated slowly, trying to get a hold on the name. It was probably an ancient name...Sinten. But then again, what wasn't nowadays?  
  
'Sinten' nodded, "And you're Riku, correct?"  
  
"Yah." Riku replied timidly, now feeling shy.  
  
A soft chuckle came from Sinten as he stood up and walked over to Riku, stopping in front of him. Their gazes connected, causing Riku to sink in the depth of Sinten's eyes. In fact, he was so hypnotized by Sinten's eyes he had failed to notice him pushing Riku slowly onto the bed and unbuckling the straps on Riku's shirt. But when Sinten leaned down to kiss Riku, the spell broke.  
  
Riku scooted away from Sinten against the cold stonewall, his shirt plainly open and his belt unbuckled. "You're just like him!" Riku cried, struggling against the man as he pulled Riku closer to him. He continued to struggle, even as he was forced down on the soft black bed sheets.  
  
To silence Riku's cries and whimpers, Sinten claimed his mouth while slipping the belt off Riku's waist. He smirked, hearing Riku whimper pitifully. Then he slowly drew away, his smooth hands on Riku's waist. Those cute aqua eyes looked up at him asking for the mercy that would never come...at least not here anyways. This dream realm of Riku's was his. And that damn Ansem wouldn't have Riku to himself. And there wasn't any Sora to worry about...  
  
Sinten started to kiss Riku's neck, then slowly trailing down his chest. In a last daring attempt to escape, Riku tried to kick Sinten off.  
  
The good news was, that it was successful.  
  
The bad news was, Sinten wasn't in the best mood now.  
  
As fast as he could go in his state of mind, Riku picked up his belt and ran towards the only exit - an old heavy-looking door probably made of oak. Riku had just grasped the handle when Sinten's hand gripped the boy's silvery-blue hair and titled it back in a painful angle while his other hand wrapped around the boy's waist. Riku struggled restlessly, desperate to get away from this man. But to add to the bad news, Sinten had now taken Riku's belt and wrapped it around his neck, causing him to weaken from loss of air.  
  
Not before long, Riku was forced to drop to his knees, pulling desperately at the belt that was cutting off his air supply. Sinten, seeing that he once again had control over Riku, pulled him by the neck over to bed. Riku, in the top state of humiliation follow, crawled along the floor as his lungs ached with the need to breathe.  
  
Once Riku was situated on the bed, Sinten took the belt and threw it aside, starting to pet Riku's head softly as he murmured a few words of false comfort to the boy beside him. Riku lay down on the sheets, breathing heavily as he gazed up at Sinten with blurred vision. He vaguely noticed he was nearing that...he couldn't think about it, not now.  
  
Then all of a sudden, it was darkness. Just utter darkness. He stared blankly in the state confusion, not sure what would happen next.  
  
When a faint white light was visible, he found himself on a bed. Not exactly the bed in the dream...come to think of it he thought this was his bed. Riku sat up, shielding his eyes from the bright moonlight that reflected off the furnished wood.  
  
"Riku?" He turned his head towards the weight that had settled beside him. He could see the faint reflection of Sora's cerulean eyes. Riku smiled and took down his hand, taking this pleasant moment just to gaze into those bright blue spheres. Sora's hand reached out from the shadows and touched Riku's hand. He looked down and noticed that Sora's skin still held the same tan complexion, as opposed to his pale. Sora in turn had for this short time been watching Riku intently, now on the verge of tears. When their gazes met for the second time, Sora's spoke again in a shy, quiet voice. "Riku...I...I..." With this line, a tear slipped out from the corner of Sora's eye, and Sora pulled back his hand to his chest.  
  
Riku reached up and brushed away the small tear with his thumb. He softly caressed Sora's cheek as one by one more tears leaked from his lover's eyes. "Sora...why are you crying?" He asked softly, now lifting his chin so he could look into those sparkling blue eyes.  
  
Sora latched onto Riku, crying into his shoulder softly. Riku wrapped his arms around Sora, rubbing his back lightly. "I...I wish that you could see in the day..." Sora whispered quietly, glancing up. "I miss the way you look like when you have the sun on your face. Like back on the island...when we use to hang out on the Paopu Island..." Sora sniffled, calming down a little bit.  
  
Riku nodded softly, holding Sora onto his lap with one hand while pulling off the covers with the other. "Let's go to bed." Riku whispered, lying down with Sora onto the bed. He looked down at Sora who glanced up and nodded. He watched as the younger boy got comfortable and pulled the covers up to his chest, before wrapping his arms around Riku again.  
  
He smiled, holding the boy close as he started to drift into sleep. Once he was sure Sora was asleep, he let himself drift as well.  
  
His dreams were peaceful the rest of the night.  
  
~*~  
  
That seemed long to me, what about you? Okay, first thing's first. I'm not sure Sinten is an original character or not. He's a 'rumored' bad guy for Kingdom Hearts two, but I'll just use him for this. I'll make him a 'higher power' than Ansem, like the rumor says.  
  
Now it's your turn to Review! Tell me how you liked this chapter! 


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